


A peculiar affliction

by Flinched



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Gen, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Moral Ambiguity, POV Reno (Compilation of Final Fantasy VII), Post-Sector 7 Plate Collapse, Profanity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-07
Updated: 2019-08-07
Packaged: 2020-08-10 02:50:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,218
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20128135
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Flinched/pseuds/Flinched
Summary: When they told Reno to drop the plate on sector 7 he wasn’t expecting anyone to ask him to pick it back up again.FF7 Fan-works Exchange '19 Original prompt: While recovering after the fall of the sector 7 plate Reno receives unexpected comfort and/or forgiveness. Reno/Reeve





	A peculiar affliction

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Mahokoyuki](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mahokoyuki/gifts).

> Hi guys, this is my entry for FF7 Fan-works Exchange '19. 
> 
> Thanks to Mahokoyuki for the fab prompts. I have a second one that’s still in progress that I’ll post soon - they were seriously all great!
> 
> I had an absolute blast writing this one, and I hope you liked my take on it. Not sure how much you wanted Reeve/Reno as a Romanic pairing, but my focus was more on the hurt/comfort...
> 
> I needed about 15,000 more words to fully get what I wanted so I'm kinda bummed I had to wrap it up so quickly. I might come back to this later on to expand it - who knows!
> 
> Catch me on Tumblr! [Flinchingly](https://flinchingly.tumblr.com/)

The first thing Reno noticed when he came round was that the water was cold.

His chest was heavy with dead air yet his body was oddly buoyant. His fingers clung around the ridges of the porcelain. He pushed his body against the bottom of the tub and focused on the muffled sloshes of bathwater as he resisted against all sense of self preservation. The chill pressed against his skin like a welcoming hug and his vision blurred before he took a long, leisurely blink.

It was so easy, so comfortable to fall into the embrace.

Except Reno knew that he wasn’t going to have the luxury of a painless death, if he was lucky enough he’d get a bullet between the eyes without being on his knees with a bag on his head. It would be more than he deserved, but if there was one thing he knew was that people rarely got what they deserved.

He sat up in the tub with a splutter, blinking the water out of his eyes slowly as his chest heaved. Red hair stuck to his back and sides like kelp, tangling as his chest trembled with exertion. 

Now in contact with air, his cheek and lip stung where the skin was broken. He’d patch himself up later if he got the time; it would be business as usual in the morning, after all. Reno stared around his bathroom blearily, pushed himself to his feet unsteadily and stepped out onto the cold tile. 

He used a towel to squeeze water from his locks, which were tangled beyond all hope. 

He made his way to the door, throwing the soaked towel into the sink as he did so. He closed his eyes in a pointed attempt to ignore his reflection, not willing to see his nose which was probably slightly less straight than it was before.

Stumbling against the doorframe along the way, Reno made his way to the couch and collapsed over the arm, naked as the day he was born. His legs dangled over the arm, water droplets splashing onto the carpet beneath his feet. 

Reno slowly opened his eyes again, searching for the bottle of whiskey he’d left somewhere in there. It wasn’t in his immediate line of sight and he wasn’t inclined to get up anytime soon. He was much too comfortable, in fact the thought of crashing on his own couch sound mightily appealing. His body was going to ache anyway, what would a crick in the neck mean in the grand scale of things really?

“You missed check in,” a smooth voice called out from somewhere behind him. Reno bristled to an upright position in his seat. 

Tseng stood behind the breakfast bar to the right of him, tilting a previously untouched glass of whiskey in his fingers as he spoke. He was as formal as ever - his posture consisting of hard lines, the fingers of one hand drumming disinterestedly on the counter as he took a slow sip.

Reno might have been mistaken, but Tseng may have been a _teeny_ bit angry.

Reno relaxed his shoulders and replied with an unapologetic smile. “Sorry, yo. Busy not dying.”

Tseng hummed ambiguously, still inspecting the glass as Reno reached over to pull a pair of pants on. “This whiskey has a good vintage, it must have cost quite a lot of Gil.” 

His skin was still wet so the material stuck to his skin as he pulled them up and his left side twinged in agony but he didn’t stop until he’d buttoned them at the waist. “In fact, I’m sure I have a bottle of this very brand in my office. What a coincidence.”

There was no way in hell was he going to leave his unprotected testicles anywhere near Tseng’s eye line for longer than necessary. 

Reno tried not to smirk as he shrugged, “We both must have great taste, I guess. Where’s Rude?”

“You’d know the answer to that question if you’d checked in as per protocol.”

Reno rolled his eyes, but apparently Tseng was feeling particularly talkative. He wasn’t quite finished. “Rude expressed similar concerns about your welfare. Understandable, given the scale of tonight's mission - what assumption do you think he came to when you hadn’t given me your status report after the mission was completed?”

“My PHS was broke-” 

“Do not insult my intelligence. You are more than resourceful enough to make the call with or without a personal phone.” 

Reno stared at the shelf above the TV in bland deference. The many trinkets from his jobs he’d taken in the past cluttered the space - a pink cocktail umbrella from Costa Del Sol, an apple shaped keyring that read “I went to Banora and all I got was this dumb apple” - Cissnei hated that one; Reno made sure to leave one of every colour hidden in her suitcase. 

Memorabilia littered his apartment. It was better to remember the cocktails at the bar than the business man he strangled in the tub 3 hours later whilst his wife and kids slept in the room next door.

“It appears to have escaped your attention that your team do actually care for your welfare. Certainly more than you do.”

Unable to resist poking the bear, Reno rolled his eyes and scoffed. “Plus the paperwork is a bitch to fill out, right?”

Tseng’s quiet presence fell silent. Reno glanced over the counter to the empty kitchen and frowned. A hand wrapped around his neck as Tseng yanked his head back by his hair. Reno grunted as he writhed in his seat, hands immediately clutching at his vulnerable throat first. He hadn’t even heard the footsteps.

He looked up into bored eyes and snarled, lashing out. Tseng slapped his grasping hands away with ease. The grip on Reno’s jaw tightened until he groaned in pain and cold glass pressed against his lips. 

“Don’t fight it. Just swallow.” Sour liquid poured into his mouth and a deft hand clamped his jaw shut again.

Reno stilled like a cornered dog and it took a long moment before he swallowed. Tseng eyed Reno carefully, then released his head and walked around the sofa to stand by the redhead’s knees.

“You’re lucky I’m still willing to put up with you,” he snapped, and placed a new PHS on the coffee table. 

Cool heat lined Reno’s throat and stomach. A fresh, tingly sensation bubbled under his skin and his previously stiff chest loosened with relief. A potion; seemed like a waste on such superficial wounds.

“I’m not a pussy,” Reno whined as he gingerly sat up. “I would have been fine in a couple of days.” 

Tseng smiled but there wasn’t anything pleasant about the contour of his lips.

Reno had clearly misunderstood. Tseng wasn’t a _teeny_ bit angry, he was furious.

“Consider it a gift,” He said as he walked back towards the entrance to the flat, grabbing his bottle of whiskey as he left. “Be in the office at 8am tomorrow morning with your completed mission report.”

The phone on the table buzzed as it received a message. Rude. The new PHS already had his contacts synced.

_Ruddykins@20:15: If Tseng hasn’t beaten your ass already then Cissnei will when you get in tomorrow. Glad you’re okay._

Reno snorted, flopping back onto the couch now he’d been healed for the most part and let the exhaustion drag him into unconsciousness.

* * *

It was 11:15 when Reno strolled in the next morning. He whistled obnoxiously and sauntered over to the blonde receptionist who was clacking at her computer with overly manicured nails. She was probably gossiping about whatever the next big thing was with the rest of the receptionists that were members of the Silver Elite. He’d get the dirt later, the receptionists were a goldmine for the latest.

He dropped papers on her desk. “Morning babe,” he waggled his eyebrows as he cozied up to her desk. “Do me a favour and process this for me, will ya?”

“For the last time Reno, it’s Angela,” she sniffed as she picked up the now evidently soggy papers with the tips of her fingers. “What is this?” 

“It’s my mission report.”

“It’s dripping.”

“Accidents happen. I wouldn’t touch it for too long though. That shit is probably bad for your skin, yo.”

She dropped the report back onto the table with a wet thump. She looked up at him in disbelief. “It’s on the back of a takeaway menu.”

Reno shrugged and gave her a cheeky wink, that we as well received as it ever had been. “You can still read it, can’t ya?”

The receptionist pursed her lips, squinting as she read the smudged note. “I push button. Bomb goes bang. Fatalities expected: 40+?”

Reno’s smile turned brittle at the edges, and she shrunk back into her seat, “Well when ya say it like that, you make it seem so barbaric.”

“I’m not sure I’m allowed to-”

“-Hey, I like your plant!”

Angela balked, looking delicately puzzled. “Thank you? It was a gift from my boyfriend. He sent it over when he was in Wutai.” 

Reno’s smile relaxed again, and he leaned over her keyboard to grab at the tall, leafy plant. “Aww, that’s real nice. You should leave it out by the window so it can get more sun. The plants like the heat in Wutai.” He placed it on the opposite side of the desk, where the lighting from the window would hit the plant best. 

“Uh, thanks?” 

Reno smiled so sweetly he was sure he would develop cavities. “Don’t mention it, Ange. So what do you say, can you help me out with my mission report?”

She still looked hesitant, so Reno pressed a little harder. “You always make it sound so… smart when you do it. You use all the big words and make me look cool.” 

Reno could see her resistance crumbling and knew he’d won. He didn’t even need to bribe her. “You can always use Rude’s report to fill it out - he’s better at remembering all the details than I am.”

“Erm, well… I have a little bit of time...” 

He loved the newbies. 

“Thanks, Babe.” Angela flushed. She clearly knew he’d played her a little, but seemed to like the attention. Angela’s gaze drifted over Reno’s shoulder as he made a move to seal the deal. “You’re seriously the best; if you get any shit from that crabby bitch Lisa let me know. I’ll look after you...”

Reno’s voice trailed away, put out by her lack of attention, and noticed that her eyebrows had slowly furrowed to a frown.

“Three hours and twenty minutes.”

Tseng and Rude stood at the entrance to his office; Tseng’s expression showcased all the tenderness of a punch to the throat, and Rude’s one questioning eyebrow peeked out from his shades. “Not a new record for you, but still surprising given our conversation last night.”

Reno winked at the secretary and jumped off the desk, “Sorry I’m late, bossman. My alarm is broken.”

Rude shook his head silently and walked back into the room to hold the door open as Tseng spoke.

“In. Now.”

“Sure,” Reno agreed brightly, “I’ve just filed my report with Angela. It’s my best one yet, super wordy. It’s a gripping read, you’ll love it. See ya, Angela.”

Angela gave a timid wave as Reno swept into the office, glancing over at the newly relocated fern on her desk with uncertainty.

Rude closed the door behind him with a soft click giving the secretary a soulful look, hidden behind his shades as he did so.

“Stop terrorising the temps,” he muttered at Reno’s back as they moved to stand at attention in front of Tseng’s desk.

Tseng sat at the desk with his fingers steepled, the perfect image of a douchebag boss on a power trip. He frowned as he surveyed the pair, creasing the tilak on his forehead with its severity. “I have a mission I’d like you to assist with.”

Rude’s eyebrows shot up and Reno sagged comically with a whine, “Seriously? Already? I thought for sure I’d be allowed office duty.”

Tseng smirked. “You’re not that lucky, Reno, and I’m not that cruel. I won’t leave you to terrorise the hard working staff that keep this department running behind the scenes.”

“What is it, sir?” Rude asked respectfully, clearly eager to keep things moving before there was any opportunity for Reno to put his foot in his mouth for the both of them.

Tseng moved his attention to the taller, and clearly more dependable, of the pair and interlinked his fingers with a sigh. “A difficult task for any of us,” he replied. “Had your partner turned up on time, you would have been with Cissnei in Kalm by now.”

Reno scoffed, stiffening a little when Tseng’s eyes flicked over to him briefly. 

“You will need to speak with Reeve Tuesti for the full briefing. Shinra would like to ‘extend an olive branch’, as it were.”

Reno frowned, and it was Rude’s turn to stiffen slightly next to him.

“‘Olive branch’?” Rude asked. ”Why would Reeve give us our orders?” 

Tseng exhaled through his nose. “You will help renovate any viable areas of sector 7. We believe it will help improve public sway - the current climate is,” Tseng searched for the right word before continuing, “quite tumultuous at the present.”

Rude looked like he was struggling to chew the words in his throat before he replied, “The general climate of the city is... tumultuous... because an eighth of it blew up last night.”

Reno couldn’t hear anything other than the roaring in his ears. His shoulders quivered as he pressed his nails into his palm until they pierced the skin. Reno stared hard at the carpet at his feet, unable to speak for fear of saying something he would truly live to regret. He pushed down his emotions a few seconds - or was it years - later, and zoned back in to the conversation.

“- wouldn’t you want SOLDIER doing this?” 

Tseng’s clipped reply had far more patience than Reno had ever received. There would be a large press opportunity next week once the manual labour was done, SOLDIER would be there for a photo op before they left. It was the infantry grunts and whatever resource was willing to help that would do the actual work - that is, Rude, Reno and anyone else on the shit list. Tseng stood up from his desk and turned to the window, where Reno knew a heavy column of smoke would be hanging in the air.

It wasn’t until the office grew quiet that he realised they must be waiting for him to speak. 

When he did find his voice, it was like someone else was in control of his mouth. “There isn’t anything to salvage. I laid the charges myself. You said we wanted to wipe it clean off the map. I’m good at my job, yo.”

“The company’s stance has changed.”

Didn’t that just cut like a knife? “I’m glad the ,_company_ has decided it gives a fucking shit. I’m sure the folks in sector 8 will be really pleased to hear that.”

“Watch your mouth-”

“What? I can kill 1.5 Million of the city’s poorest, that’s no problem, but god forbid I have a potty mouth. Wait, let me guess: Sector 7 was a shithole, we were doing them a favour, right? I’m sure everyone will have forgotten about it by next week when some celebrity makes a sex tape. ”

Tseng stared at him for a long moment. “Are your personal feelings impeding your ability to comply with this order?”

“What the hell do you think?”

“I think it doesn’t matter. Do you think any one person in this department was comfortable with last night’s mission? Though I do find it strange that you have decided to develop a conscience after the fact. After all, you never expressed any reservations when laying the charges.” 

Rude’s steady hand pressing down on Reno’s shoulder kept him from leaping over the table but the anger remained, licking at his bones.

“You are not one of those who are truly suffering in this situation. I trust you will remember that. You will report to Reeve at 12pm sharp. Am I clear?”

Reno’s voice once again deserted him so Rude took the lead. Accepting on their behalf and steering Reno out by his shoulder. Reno spotted a familiar half-empty bottle of whiskey placed in a glass cabinet in the corner of the office. Tseng had left it there on purpose, like some sort of trophy. 

He’d have it back within a week; and when he got it he’d use it to set the Gaia-damned office on fire.  


* * *

“You’re late.”

Reeve Tuesti seemed somewhat unassuming from first impressions. With a crisp blue suit, carefully maintained facial hair, and just the traces of crows feet beginning to nest at the corner of his eyes, he came across like any other stereotypical well-to-do businessman.

Reno had worked with Tseng for long enough that he knew not to make rash assumptions. The quiet ones were often the ones to keep your eye on. “Sorry, I didn’t want to come.” 

All the higher ups he’d met in this company had some nasty in them, Reno doubted Reeve would be any different. He honestly preferred it that way. When he was eventually paid to stick the knife in their back, he’d know that at least they deserved it.

He could feel Reeve’s eyes scoping him out, taking in his dishevelled appearance and tattooed cheekbones. Reno could practically see the cogs turning behind his eyes as he made judgments on his character.

They had met a handful of times before, usually when Reno was acting as a bodyguard at an open event or completing an escort mission through Midgar. They’d never really spoken more than a distant “thanks” at the end of a shift or a terse “I don’t need you hovering over my shoulder” in the bathroom (one of Reno’s favourite games to kill time on more boring missions.) Reno was sure the only reason Reeve would recognise him at all was his distinctive hair colour.

“And yet, here you are,” Reeve replied. “Good afternoon Rude,” he acknowledged with a nod. 

Rude mirrored the nod with a soft, “Sir.” Reeve's smile in return was good natured. 

Not surprising - nearly everyone preferred Rude, Reno included. Rude was the dependable, stable one. Reno was more suited to blowing things up and getting the hell out of dodge.

Most people foolishly assumed Reno was the life of the party rather than the douchebag that spikes your drink and takes pictures for potential blackmail material later down the line. Rude was steady as a rock in a crisis - for the right price.

“So I hear you’ve gone all ‘good samaritan’ and want us to join the club.” Reno took the opportunity to park himself on the edge of Reeve’s desk, reaching over to start the newton’s cradle swinging with a loud clack. Rude stood before the desk, impartial as ever.

Reeve frowned and put a hand over to still the device almost instantly. “I’d like to do something for the people that have been left homeless, without food and loved ones due to the actions of the company that I represent, yes. That doesn’t make me a weeping heart to be mocked. It makes me a compassionate human being.”

Reno smirked, reaching over to set off the newton’s cradle again. “Man, you’re a buzzkill.” The disdain Reno was aiming for never settled on Reeve’s face, instead he had a moronic look of such pity that it looked like it was painful. Reno wanted to punch it clean out of him. “I’m just saying. I’m pretty sure you were in the room when the big dogs made the call. Where was Mr. Humanitarian then?”

“I could ask you the same, Reno. How merciful did you feel last night?” 

There was a moment where the only sound in the office was the sharp clicking of metal balls hitting against each other. Reeve reached over to them once more before placing the cradle into a drawer in his desk. “I’m not interested in arguing business politics or getting into whether this is hypocritical. This is about the people that need our help, nothing else.”

Reno clenched his jaw, hopping away from the desk and making his way over to Rude. 

“I really don’t care,” He said over his shoulder with a flippant flick of his ponytail, “Shinra pays my bills regardless of whether I’m saving a life or wasting it.”

Reeve sighed, looking at him with dark, knowing eyes. Reno felt the urge to knock something over. “That’s a very unfulfilled perspective to have on life,” he pointed out. “It must be such a lonesome existence to live that way.”

Reno scowled, “I’m a hoot. I've got my existence under control, don’t you worry about that.”

Rude, who had enough experience with Reno to be able to tell when his mood was truly about to turn black, decided that he would take the role of spokesperson for the while. “Tseng hasn’t given us the full scope of the project. What exactly do you need us to do?”

Reno was thankful that his partner had his back and kept things on track. The last thing Reno needed was getting his ass kicked by Tseng because he kicked Reeve’s ass to the curb.

He took the opportunity to inspect the office whilst Reeve confirmed the details with Rude. Sounded like most of the sector was toast (Reno could have confirmed that much, having had to escape most of the aftermath the night previous). The walls were filled with arty-farty paintings with lots of negative space. 

The edges of the sector connecting to its neighbours had taken a lot of damage, but could be refurbished to food banks and homeless shelters whilst people began to rebuild their lives. He felt Reeve’s eyes burning into his back, probably anticipating something being stolen, as he picked up a weird geometrically shaped vase from a bookshelf. Why was everything here monochrome?

“Did you hear any of what I just said?”

“Sure, I did. Small parties between two and five men on the outskirts of the sector, yadda yadda yadda. Feed the hungry, house the homeless and don’t beat any children. Got it, Toots.”

He didn’t need to turn back round to know Rude would be pinching the bridge of his nose like a pissed off grandpa but his did anyway because it was too damned funny not to look.

“You have a real problem with authority figures,” Reeve observed finally.

Reno’s grin was all teeth. “You’re just now figuring this out?”

* * *

The announcement over the tannoy system apologised for the delays in service with a limp insincerity that only public service announcements could achieve. The rail services between sector 6 and 8 had all been cancelled due to the tragic events that had taken place over the past twenty four hours.

Most passengers were understanding, united under the circumstances.

_C-sista: listen u little asshole rude was worried sick last night. u better buy him a beer or something after work. or maybe you cant because uve been squashed like a bug under rubble. Guess ill NEVER KNOW AS U NEVER CHECKED IN LAST NIGHT._

_E-LAME-A: Hope you’re okay? xoxo - Lana_

The ride under the plate was unbearably humid at the best of times, but when each train was packed full of bodies trying to work around severe travel disruptions the conditions went from ‘uncomfortably close’ to ‘Satan’s asshole’ real quick.

Reno could feel the sweat trickling down his spine as he clung to against the handrail. Rude stood next to him, leaning against the train doors as Reno scrolled through his unread messages. Most of them were Cissnei and only a few promised evisceration when he saw her next. 

The journey from Reeve’s office had been unusually quiet so far, Reno wasn’t in the mood for conversation and Rude wasn’t inclined to instigate small talk.

There was an old woman sat on the seats next to them; Reno referred to her as ‘Dusty’ in his head on the account of her shrivelled, dried out skin and her perpetually unhappy looking mouth. She was quite vocal about getting her preferred spot on the train as seemed to think she was the only one who had to deal with an overcrowded train.

Reno knew he had questionable morals at times, but if he’d accidentally whammied her with his electro-rod he doubted anyone would have batted an eye.

She of course had a lot to say about those low life AVALANCHE assholes that had caused her such a personal inconvenience. Didn’t seem too bothered about the countless people that had died, she was more focused on the extra 2 hours it took her to get to the market.

He glanced up to Rude from the screen of his phone, before snapping it shut. Rude looked infallible as he always did but Reno could spot the sunken bags hidden behind his shades from this angle. Rude had a rough night too.

“I hate this line. It’s always hot as balls as soon as you go under the plate.”

Rude shifted toward him as he replied, “You say that every time we come here.”

The redhead shrugged, “Every time we come here it’s true.” He stretched out the kinks in his back before flopping down against the side of the seat with a dramatic flourish. The elderly woman tutted loudly and he threw her a look that was so acidic it may have melted flesh had it already not turned to leather from sun exposure and old age.

Turning his cool stare back to Rude, who was smoothing out the traces of a smile at the corners of his mouth, he continued. “So, I bumped into our _pals_ last night.” Rude stiffened. “They got away… There was a certain lady with the soft brown eyes and boobs so big they could suffocate you. What a way to go though, am I right?”

Rude stared at the window with keen interests and mumbled something inaudible. His cheeks were decidedly more peach than earlier and his hand made its way to rub at the back of his neck subconsciously. Reno snickered loudly, reaching out to pat him on the leg condescendingly. 

“I’d tell you that she whooped my ass but that would just make you like her more, wouldn’t it? Suckerpunched me right in the kidneys - cracked a rib or two, mind you.”

Rude shifted his weight away from Reno and focused intently on the grout between the windowpane and the train. Reno ignored the old woman that was boring holes into the side of his skull with her glare, reaching out to pull him round by his jacket. 

“Naaw, come on. I’m only teasing - if anyone’s got a shot it’s you, ya giant teddy bear.”

Rude’s nostrils flared. 

“Look at that little face. Who could resist that shining, bald head?”

And then his tie was being yanked down and to the side. Reno’s forehead hit the railing with a dull thud. He yelped and clutched his head, despite not feeling that much pain in the grand scheme of things. “You can’t hurt me! I’m injured!” 

“You look fine to me.”

“Not anymore. I think you’ll find I just got a fucking concussion, yo.” Reno rubbed his head, shooting Rude a betrayed look as he did so. Rude raised his eyebrows in challenge, knowing there was a strong chance his goading would lead to another itching powder debacle. 

The old woman next to them huffed loudly and Reno turned on her. He took in her pruned lips and hooded eyes dispassionately. “You got a problem, Lady?” He leaned closer, holding his weight on his back the seat and encroaching on the old woman’s personal space. 

She clutched at her bag to the other side of her and shook her head wordlessly. “Then scram.” 

She did so without preamble, pushing people out of the way to make her way into the next cart entirely, no doubt telling anyone who would listen about the thug that had threatened her. Any one half decent might help out, but they were now officially under the plate and he didn’t catch many acts of heroism in this part of town.

Anyone who gave a shit would take one look at the suit and turn back the way they came.

When Reno turned back to Rude, he could see clear disapproval in his frown. “What? She started it.”

The thrum of the train shuddered judgingly.

“I don’t care how old she was. It’s not like I beat her up or anything!”

The rest of the trip was uneventful and followed in companionable silence. Reno liked to think the rest of the carriage were appreciative of his seeing off the riff-raff, not intimidated by his presence.

Their journey took the better part of an hour, mainly due to the fact that they had to walk most of the distance from Tonberry Drive, which felt like an eternity. They stopped off for a drink on the way at Rude’s insistence. It felt like a delaying tactic, but who was Reno to judge? 

They were expected to meet their contact outside a local fountain just by the access point to the lower city between the works access in sector 6 and Yojimbo Avenue. Reeve was especially cryptic when they asked who his contact was - he smirked and stated that they would know when they had found him. Their distinctive contact would then brief them on their tasks for the day, after they were done they were required to check back at Shinra HQ.

Reno debated not checking in again, but Tseng really would kill him in his sleep.

Getting to the edge the remains of sector 7 felt a bit like taking a kick to the diaphragm with a smile. Reno stomach seemed to fold in on itself as he took in the ruins, covered in chalk-like dust clouding the air. He used to walk down the streets that were now covered in mangled corpses of metal and stone where the plate had buckled at the weak points and fallen.

Rude, silent as ever, stood beside him in solidarity.

“Look out tweedle dumb and tweedle dumber! Feline on a mission here!”

A small black cat with white muzzle and mitts stood on the head of a giant Mog. He barrelled over to them, a megaphone in one paw and the other kept himself steady on the head he was perched on.

“What the fuck are you supposed to be?”

“Listen boyo, I don’t know who you think you're talking to but I’m Cait Sith. I can promise you, you won’t find another like me!” 

“I believe you.” Rude replied. Reno snorted; staring at the cat carefully as he prayed to Gaia that this wasn’t his contact.

* * *

Gaia be damned, the cat was the contact.

For hours Reno and Rude had slaved away, clearing debris and ushering people from point A to B at the whims of that psychotic cat. Rude was unquestionably stoic when the little bastard gleefully announced that he’d saved the worst of the dog’s body work for them to complete.

Reno was less agreeable, especially when the cat turned his megaphone face Reno as he roared out orders. Rude had stopped him from reaching for his electro-rod no fewer than 4 times that afternoon.

“I’m not dressed for this shit,” Reno complained as he lounged over a boulder, his back facing the worst of the devastation. “It’s always so damned hot down here.” 

If Rude agreed he didn’t say anything, opting to grunt as he lifted a large stone out of the way. Cait has decided this was to be where they would erect a food station for the homeless. 

The structure of a small shop seemed mostly intact and it was fairly central so Reno couldn't really criticise his choice. He did notice that the damned cat didn’t actually do any of the actual labour either though. 

“You could do some work too and we’d leave here earlier.”

Reno flicked a pebble off his knee with force. It hit the centre of Rude’s back with a dull thud. Rude’s shoulders grew tense. “Gross. That’s a hard pass from me. I’ll do my time today and be done with this thank you very much.”

If there was ever someone who would not accept that sentiment in was Rude. The tension in his frame didn’t ease as he dropped the stone to the ground with a heavy thud. “Besides, I’m more delicate than you.” Reno retrospectively tried to reason.

Rude gave him a look over the top of his shades that said he needed to shut his mouth and get himself well out of striking distance. Usually Reno wouldn’t think twice about stirring the pot further, however he excused himself to be as far away from Rude’s giant, punching bear-hands as possible. 

He figured it was so damned hot down there and Rude looked so exhausted, the greatest gift he could give his partner was at least 5 minutes of peace to cherish. Plus he didn’t fancy getting his ass whooped anytime soon, _and_ it got him out of heavy lifting; win-win.

He was about to make his way towards the general community to see if help he could swindle a drink out of someone when he spotted with the civilians down the way. A group of young teenagers that loitered around looking frustrated as they tried to climb over bits of rubble into what looked like the remains of a bakery. Reno marched over with the intent of scaring them off until he realised how young they actually were.

It turned out their school had been crushed when the plate fell so they didn’t have anywhere to go or anything to do. Couldn’t have been much of school - most likely community led and self maintained given it was under the plate - but either way the kids had lost their hope for finishing their education. Even if it was court mandated for some of them, those kids didn’t even have the chance of breaking the cycle like Reno did. 

Even the Turks wouldn’t have you if you didn’t know how to read or write - regardless of what skills you might have had.

It felt like there were rocks in his stomach when Reno finally had enough willpower to speak. It didn’t feel right to give them the whole ‘life is tough’ schtick he’d usually quack out, instead he found himself pushing them towards the makeshift tents and telling them to pick up a job to help out with. Who knew, maybe they’d be helping out a local business owner who might remember their face in the future when they needed a delivery boy to help out.

Besides, having a couple of favours to cash in with the locals could never hurt.

Despite being averse to manual labour in the first place, Reno soon found himself wrestling with tent poles and muslin with the kids to get them started. The experience taught him that he didn’t have the patience to be a teacher nor the tent-making skills to camp outdoors.

Rude eventually cooled off. No, Reno conceded that was a poor choice of words. It was still a cesspool of heat and smog down there. Rude eventually stopped wanting to throttle Reno and headed over once he’d cleared a spot for the tent to go. The group moved it over to the entrance of the stop slowly, with plenty of stops on the way as the kids tripped over bits of rock and each other’s feet. They definitely would have done it faster without them. At least it kept them occupied.

The group ran back to the local shopkeeper who had offered to help in the first place to let her know there was somewhere to set her stall out. Reno took the moment to lay down on the floor, sand and dust sticking to his hair and his back as he did so. He didn’t care too much, they were in the shade and he was pretty sure he was sweating out of his ass at this point.

In the seconds of inaction between the pair, Cait wailed from across the way. “What are you two Lazy Dogs doing over there? There’s hard work to be finished before the day is done!” 

“Why don’t you get off your furry cat ass and do some work yourself?”

“From what I can see, it doesn’t look like you’re too committed to the cause either.” No further evidence was needed to confirm Tseng was as slippery as an eel, seeing as he’d appeared out of nowhere with the sole purpose of antagonising them.

Behind him, Elena stood with her slightly-oversized, but still smart, suit and her blonde hair tucked primly behind her ears. She was stock still next to Tseng, but she appeared to put far more effort into it than her boss, who was my all means a living statue.

“Laney,” Reno nodded from his position on the ground and wondered how Tseng had a knack for appearing when he was in vulnerable positions. At least he didn’t have his balls out this time. Elena would have had kittens. 

“Hi Reno,” she greeted with a wide smile, fumbling over her feet a little. “Happy to see you alive and well!”

“I think you're the only one, but thanks.” Rude offered his arm and he pulled himself up, dusting off as loose powder as he did so. Judging by the unimpressed look Tseng gave him, he wasn’t particularly successful. “So Bossman, does this mean we don’t have to check in at HQ now?”

“Why am I not surprised your immediate concern is doing less work?”

“Not sure, I’d assume the science lackies haven't got round to programming that emotional response for you yet.” 

As usual Elena looked aghast at his snark. At some point she was going to become accustomed to his unrelenting assholery - until then, Reno took as much joy as he could out of her reactions.

“No, but they did enable the spite functions. You’ll be reporting to me again in the morning. 8am, don’t be late.”

For once, Reno didn’t have the energy in him to retaliate. He mentally made a note to antagonise Tseng when he wasn’t slowly steaming in his insides using his own body fluids. Maybe he’d let pigeons in the vents again. That was his favourite kind of revenge; minimum effort, maximum payoff.

“Are we going to be doing this all week?” Rude asked, most likely planning appropriate clothing for the foreseeable.

“No.” Music to Reno’s ears, “But until I have active missions for you I have told Reeve he can do with you as he pleases.”

“Sounds kinky-”

“Shut up."

* * *

The night breeze was cold against his face at this height. That being said, Reno didn’t feel it too much from due to the whiskey that was warming his stomach.

Reno’s feet dangled over the balcony railing as he leaned back in the chair, a cigar dangling from his lips. It tasted disgusting but he’d swiped it from Tseng’s office as he grabbed the Whiskey so he was going to smoke the damned cigar and drink the swanky booze, damn it.

He knew realistically that light pollution wasn’t a good thing, but from here the city was a blur of orange and green ambients. It was beautiful and only the big dogs at Shinra ever got to enjoy the view away from the smog. That night, however, there was a section that sat in darkness, having lost power little over 24 hours prior.

The contrast made the dark spot especially stark in the cityscape. There were probably still people in there that had survived, waiting for a rescue that would never arrive. He’d heard of stories where people had lived for days, sometimes weeks, before their liberation. 

Reno twiddled the phone in his hands. The soft blue light against his face was the only light on the balcony, given that he had never turned on the light to the president’s office when he arrived.

_Ruddykins@22:04: Don’t stay up all night. _

In Reno’s defense, he did _try_to go home and get some sleep, but it was like he had an itch under his skin and he frankly couldn’t sit in his apartment and listen to the neighbours having another blistering row followed by ear-piercingly loud sex.

The balcony doors behind him opened and closed which put him on edge until a familiar voice spoke.

”Well, I can’t say I expected to see you again so quickly.”

Reeve took the seat next to him on the balcony, looking a little more frayed around the edges than he did earlier. Reno stared at him for a moment, taking in the downturn of his mouth, and the tension lines in between his brows.

”It must be your lucky day.” He turned back to look out over the skyline, slipping his phone into his pocket as he did so. He absently unscrewed the top from the whiskey to take another drink. “Want some?”

It honestly hadn’t occurred to him that Reeve would observe him in return. “I didn’t know you smoked,” he remarked as he grabbed the bottle with a frown.

Reno shrugged and tired for a smirk which was far too lopsided to have the desired effect. “I don’t. I swiped it from Tseng’s office when I made a move for the booze.”

”You stole this from Tseng?”

Reno side-eyed him in question.

”This whiskey went missing from my office a few days ago.”

Reno squinted at him in confusion. “Did he tell you where to find me?”

A nod. “This is your usual camping spot after hours, is it not?”

“Then I think we’ve both been played here. Don’t quite know how yet. My brain’s still catching up.”

Surprisingly, Reeve only took a sip before handing it back. “It’d be impolite for me not to share when you were so willing to.” Reno scoffed but took a swig and gazed at him with glassy eyes.

”So what are you doing here, Toots? You didn’t strike me as the type to get any less than your recommended 8 hours of beauty sleep.”

Reeve sighed and shifted in his seat. “I suppose I’ll have all the time to rest now. I’ve taken a leave of absence.”

Reno struggled to understand what he was doing there. Surely he had a nice home to go to? Maybe a dog to keep him company? “Who’s looking after the aid for Sector 7?”

Reeve stiffened before standing and making his way to look over the balcony fully. “It is a personal project. The president is unwilling to take action with company funding.” Made sense why it was so small for the amount of work to be done. It made Reno wonder if SOLDIER were ever going to be involved at all.

”No SOLDIER publicity stunts then?”

Reeve huffed a laugh, “So that’s how Tseng was trying to spin it for sign off. No, I’m afraid it’s me and Cait Sith on this one.”

Reno dropped the cigar that he had never attempted to finish into the ashtray. Reeve looked out at the city and Reno wondered if they saw the same city.

“Of all the things this company has done to maintain its power, Sector 7 will forever be the darkest stain on Shinra’s ledger.”

Reno stood, leaving the whiskey at the table, to join the older man. “Sounds like you’re trying to fix it, though.” Reeve shook his head.

”I should have done more to stop it in the first place.”

”Quit the bullshit attitude, you asshole. How the hell is the shoulda-coulda-woulda crap helping anyone? I set the fucking charge and you don’t see me whining about it.” 

There was a beat of silence between the two. “You can feel bad about what happened-”

”No, I fucking can’t.” Reno snapped at the bright lights of the theatre district. “If they ordered me to do it again, I’d do it because either I do it, or there’s a bullet in my head and someone else is doing it. Morals don’t mean shit for someone like me. I don’t have the luxury of killing thousands of people and feeling _bad_ about it.”

He could hear Reeve sigh next to him. “Guilt is a peculiar affliction.” Reno rolled his eyes. “You don’t get to pick and choose when you feel it, Reno, regardless of what position you’re in.”

Except being guilty wasn’t a feeling; it was a verdict, which was something Reeve just couldn’t seem to grasp.

“I thought about what you said to me this morning. When you asked me where my humanity was when I was in the room when the plate fell. I’ll admit it wouldn’t leave me alone for a long time.” Reeve paused, taking in the city again. “Then something occurred to me that I hadn’t considered. Something that I don’t think even you had considered. Do you know what that is?”

”No.”

“You’re just a Turk.” Reno scowled at him from his seat. “One of many. You don’t have a clue what it means to make decisions that actually make a difference to politics, to justice; to the world. I’ll bet you wouldn’t want to either, because with those decisions comes personal accountability. It’s a hard weight to carry, when you’re the public flogging post in moments like this.”

”You probably know of more ways to kill me right now than you could count on your fingers and toes, but you’ll never have the burden of choosing whether 3 the hostages lives are worth the potential 20 lives that may get taken out on a mission to save them. ”

Reno couldn’t find a snippy reply fast enough to spit back at him. Reeve looked over at him, a strange light in his eyes that he couldn’t get a read on. 

”And that’s a great position to be in, Reno. Your anonymity gives you power to do things differently when your back isn’t pressed against the wall. You can change things in the background and never be seen. It’s crazy that you don’t see it - you have the opportunity to make a decision and see it through for yourself.”

Reno’s mind spun, and it wasn’t the pleasant sort that came with being buzzed. It sounded alarmingly like Reeve was planning to go rogue at some point - which any loyal employee should reported.

”You can continue to fight how you’re feeling but you’ll never be any more than another Turk that kills for hire. We’re all responsible Reno, but wouldn’t you rather try to make good, even in the smallest ways, than to continue avoiding your own reflection in the mirror out of fear of not recognising what you see?”

”Speak for yourself,” Reno interjected as Reeve pulled away from the balcony.

“I am. When I leave this office tonight I won’t be back for a while - I’m going to try to help while I can.”

”What exactly do you expect to do?” Reno asked as Reeve opened the doors back to the President's office.

”Nothing as drastic as you seem to think I’m inferring. You should allow yourself to complete this mission and actually feel the effects of helping someone in need. You might find it helps with getting to sleep at night rather than waiting for exhaustion.”

Reno stared at the balcony doors long after Reeve had left, wondering what the hell had just happened.

Another night on the balcony sure felt less appealing, that was for sure.

* * *

The clock on the wall read 09:45 which was a whole hour before Reno expected to walk into Tseng’s office. He’d tried to stall with Angela for a while but she was mad after being reprimanded with ‘potential disciplinary action’ for impersonating official Turk employees on regulatory mission documentation.

Although honestly, you’d have to be kinda stupid to think you wouldn’t get in trouble for that.

Reno yawned loudly to hide a smirk, “Sorry I'm late, my alarm is broken.”

Tseng looked up from whatever he was writing up at his desk. “Remind me - how long has it been broken?” 

The smile he gave was probably enough to confirm Reno’s complicity. ”About 4 years.”

Reno’s smile froze as Tseng mirrored his grin. “A shame. Considering Rude was shipped off to Kalm without you this morning.” 

Reno had mulled over reporting Reeve through the night, but in the moment he realised Tseng had effectively given Rude a vacation out of cattiness he instinctively said nothing to do with Reeve. It wasn’t until he was sat on the train going back to sector 7 that he was sure he’d made the right decision.

He hoped Reeve could make the difference he claimed he wanted. At the very least Reno could allow him to try, and for now that felt like enough.

Even if it was only for now.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!


End file.
